Many state factors depend on the degree of development of the road network, such as the prosperity of the country, its defense capability and much more. Unfortunately, Russian highways are simply unpredictable, as soon as you leave the highway and head into the outback, you may encounter such a phenomenon as a dirt road.
There seem to be such roads between many settlements, but it is almost impossible to use them. On such primers, sometimes there are large pits, huge potholes, continuous bumps, as well as a lot of dust flying from under the wheels of the car in all directions. Although road repairs in Russia are carried out every year, it is impossible to fully resist the destructive factors that destroy the road surface. Therefore, it is better for citizens of the Russian Federation to find out in advance what they may encounter on Russian highways.
History of road infrastructure
In the ninth century, when the ancient Russian state was born, rivers acted as roads, so most settlements were built on their banks. In the summer they swam on the water, and in the winter they moved on a sleigh.
Then, when the foundation of a single centralized state began in the fifteenth century, his power beganto think about creating a pit mail. Thus, the roads of Russia began to take shape, and a specially appointed official had to be responsible for their condition.
During the reign of Catherine II, the road business began to attach particular importance to the state. By her order, the old roads were brought into excellent condition, and a special team was assembled in each district, whose task was to monitor the safety of the road communication.
In the nineteenth century, the development of rail transport began, so highways and dirt roads became less significant for the state. But in the twentieth century, thanks to the rapid development of industry and the appearance of the first cars, the attitude of the authorities to the road network has changed significantly. Since there was no proper funding, the quality of Russian roads continued to be in a deplorable state.
A big program to renovate and build highways was scheduled for the 1940s, but such grandiose plans were thwarted by World War II. After the fighting, it was discovered that more than ninety thousand kilometers of road infrastructure had been destroyed, so the question arose of rebuilding old roads rather than building new ones.
Then, construction continued at an intensive pace in the seventies, but, unfortunately, many regional centers were still not connected to regional cities by a hard surface.
At the present time, although the condition of the roads is much better, nevertheless, according to experts, the total length of the road network is notreaches the mark of 1.5 million kilometers, which could satisfy the social and economic needs of the state.
Classification and categories
The carriageways in Russia, as, in principle, in another state, differ from each other in the quality of the road surface and length, therefore, the following classes of roads are distinguished:
- motorway (belongs to the first category, has four lanes, the maximum speed of the car is 130-150 km/h);
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regular track (it can be of different categories and a different number of lanes, the maximum movement of the car on the road section is not more than 100 km/h);
- fast road.
In atlases and maps, such a classification is almost impossible to meet, so it is better to know the markings, consisting of letters and numbers. The letter designation makes it clear which road the driver is dealing with:
- E - these route routes are an integral part of the general road communication in Europe, coinciding with some sections of federal highways.
- AH - this means that this highway belongs to Asian roads.
- M are federal highways connecting major regional centers and cities.
- R - highways that connect settlements of administrative significance.
- A - these are carriageways of regional significance that do not have their own directroutes to the capital of the Russian Federation.
- K - other highways, mostly a country road or dirt road.
- Н - local or intermunicipal road service.
Of course, it is most convenient to build your route along highways of the highest category, although sometimes it turns out to be longer, but it is safer and more comfortable.
What is a dirt track?
These are roadways, consisting exclusively of natural and natural material: sand, clay, rocky soil, turf and many other such soils. The dirt road, in terms of its qualities and properties, belongs to the fifth category and does not have a hard surface.
During rainy weather and snowmelt, such roads are completely unusable and a car is guaranteed not to be able to drive along them. It is safest to use them during the first frosts, when there is no snowfall yet, or during the dry season.
Dirt road is of the following types:
- improved (marked on the map by two parallel yellow lines);
- field and forest (in the atlas it looks like a broken line);
- country road (shown as solid stripes on the map).
Building a primer
This type of roadbed can be made with your own hands, for example, in the case when you need to make it easier for yourself to get to your dacha or to some other countryside. Constructionnatural soil roads are represented in the following ways:
1. Sprinkle the road track with coal slag, the layer of which will be about 5-10 cm. In this case, the tract dries quickly, and puddles practically do not form. After three years of operation, this procedure should be repeated.
2. With the help of bricks with asph alt chips. Such a dirt road is able to withstand even spring snowmelt and can last more than four years.
3. Tractor laying asph alt crumbs on Dornit fabric, the density of which is 150 g/m2. This method is the fastest and highest quality.
The construction of roads of this type is not too expensive, but requires constant maintenance of the pavement in proper condition.
Repair work on dirt tracks
During operation, under the influence of the wheels of various vehicles, weather conditions, due to a large amount of precipitation, unstable temperature and various other factors, all highways, without exception, wear out and become unusable. Therefore, the unpaved road surface requires systematic restoration and maintenance. This can also be done in several ways.
Major road repairs mean that some of their large sections will be re-blocked, and in some cases the entire canvas.
Current annual renovations mainly use graders, cutting natural material along the roadsides and moving it to the roadway.
Improved primer
For better stability of the roadway on country roads, a lightweight roadway is created. First, this section of the road is cleaned of dust and dirt, and then covered with soil, gravel and binders mixed with each other with various additives.
These improved dirt roadways are more resistant to various factors of damage, while using a minimum of funds for their construction.
Difficult sections
Russian motorists have identified some major surprises waiting for them on dirt roads.
The first of them is spring off-road. In this case, the ground cover resembles some kind of swamp. Mud can completely clog the treads, thus leaving the tires smooth and completely defenseless. To avoid such troubles, you need to move strictly along the knurled track and try to lighten the vehicle as much as possible.
The second surprise is the unpredictable sand. In the event that it is dry, then the machine, under its own weight, can burrow deeper and deeper into it. If the sand cover is wet, then it can be overcome faster, but you need to do it carefully so as not to plunge into the viscous dunes.
It would seem that small puddles on the roads can not be a particular obstacle, but still they sometimes hide many pitfalls. If it is not possible to go around them, then it is better to stop and get out of the car in order to explore the depth with a stick.
Country road
This is a small roadbed between settlements, also covered with natural soil. It is suitable for wheeled traffic, but since this road is not paved, it is completely unsuitable for travel in adverse weather conditions.
Such a roadway is the most unacceptable for the operation of passenger cars on it - in order to drive along it, especially in early spring, avid motorists recommend putting special chains on car tires.
The quality of the road surface of the Russian Federation
In 2012, the experts of the Davos Forum compiled an annual report and for this purpose assessed the roads of Russia and other countries. Their system used a seven-point scale, where 1 is the worst condition and 7 is excellent. Russia received its rightful three points in such a study. Russian roads received such a low indicator because of their satisfactory quality and, at the same time, some dirt roads cannot be used at all in the autumn or spring period of the year. Therefore, strictly speaking, such estimates are not surprising.
Why are there bad roads in Russia?
It is generally accepted that the road grid of the state looks like this because the country has a bad climate and outdated standards and technologies. In some cases, the prevailing terrain is unfavorable for construction, so even repairing the road in such conditions will be difficult.
In suchregions of Russia, like Karelia and regions of the Far North, the construction process is complicated by low temperatures, so it requires high energy costs, which, as a result, leads to an increase in the cost of the road. As a result, it turns out that a large amount is spent not on laying the road surface, but on combating adverse environmental conditions.
How much does road maintenance cost?
The 2016 budget included 554 billion rubles, of which 130 will go to the reconstruction and restoration of regional roads, and 65 to the construction of the Kerch bridge. The remaining billions will go to the maintenance and repair of federal highways. According to the latest estimates, the reconstruction of one kilometer of the roadway costs an average of 28 million rubles, and construction - 133 million rubles. This will reduce the number of traffic jams in these areas.
Government Plans
The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation announced that in the next five years it plans to replace all dirt roads with concrete ones. Such construction provides financing for 1.8 trillion rubles. Also, within the framework of such a program, thirty-five bridges and overpasses should be replaced or reconstructed.
If the announced plans are fulfilled, then, according to experts, this will reduce the number of accidents and increase the capacity of roads. And besides, it will solve one of the main problems of motorists.
